Chapter 5
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That voice cut through the store, and the air froze.
I turned slowly, Giovanni stood in the doorway. He wore a dark, custom–tailored suit, simple and unadorned, yet it radiated an authority that demanded silence. Two bodyguards flanked him, but they remained outside as he alone stepped into the shop.
His gaze swept over the room, cold and assessing, before it landed on me, holding an intensity I couldn’t begin to fathom.
The crowd parted for him like the sea, a path clearing as he strode toward me. He stopped at my side, his gaze falling on the emerald necklace on the counter. “You like this one?”
It was the first time I had ever been this close to him. The rumors painted him as a cold and ruthless man, but standing before me now, I felt an unshakable, profound calm emanating from him. My cheeks warmed slightly as I answered softly, “I was planning to purchase it for you, Giovanni.”
The barest hint of a smile touched his lips, and the cold severity of his face softened for an instant. The subtle shift stunned everyone in the room.
Giovanni tapped a finger on the counter. “Wrap this necklace and have it delivered to the Rossi estate. From now on, anything Miss Alessia wishes to purchase here is to be put on my account.”
The clerk was so eager to please his hands trembled. “Yes, yes, of course, Don Giovanni!”
Everyone stared at us in shock. No one had expected the Don to appear in a place like this, much less to publicly acknowledge our relationship.
Lorenzo was frozen to the spot. It took him a moment to find his voice. “Uncle Giovanni, what are you doing here?”
Giovanni turned to him, his eyes now devoid of any warmth. “Is that how I taught you to greet your elders?”
Lorenzo’s face went white. He immediately bowed his head. “Forgive me, Don.”
Giovanni stood protectively behind me, his eyes fixed on Lorenzo. “The next time you see Alessia, you will remember your place. From now on, you will address her as Madre.”
“Tomorrow, the family lawyers will deliver the official marriage contract. So from this day forward, you will treat Alessia with the respect due to an elder.”
“Madre?” Lorenzo cried out, his voice cracking. “Don, what are you talking about? Alessia is my ex–fiancée!”
I spoke up, my voice cool and clear. “Lorenzo, you came to my home to break our engagement yourself. Have you forgotten?”
“But I said I’d make you my mistress!” he argued desperately. “Why are you using the Don to pressure me? This is just another one of your tricks to make me regret my decision.”
I let out a cold laugh. “Lorenzo, the women of the Rossi family have been wives for generations. I would rather hang myself than become a mistress. Did you truly believe I would be grateful for such a position?”
“How could the Rossi family endure such an insult? I told you I would not marry you. Who I choose to marry now is none of your concern.”
Giovanni stared at Lorenzo, his eyes filled with a profound disappointment.
Chiara, clinging to Lorenzo’s side, shrieked, “You promised you would only marry me! You can’t have her! Not even as a mistress. I won’t allow any other woman near you.”
“My father is the only one who can back you. What is she? A girl from some minor family?”
Giovanni let out a derisive scoff, his disgust for her public tantrum plain.
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He placed a hand on my arm. “I’ll take you to Cartier. As your fiancé, I should be the one to buy you jewelry. I hear they have a new pink diamond set. Let’s see if it suits you.”
As we reached the door, Giovanni glanced back. “Lorenzo, since you have chosen to make Chiara your wife, you will be responsible for her actions. She just said she wanted to buy every antique necklace in Bellacorte. You know what to do.”
With that, he escorted me into his black Rolls–Royce.
Through the tinted window, I saw Lorenzo’s face turn ashen as the clerk began piling jewelry boxes on the counter. The clerk said nervously, “The total is one million, three hundred thousand euros, Mr. Lorenzo.”
Chiara pouted. “Who does she think she is, acting so high and mighty? I just wanted to buy whatever she was looking at. I wanted to see her face when she couldn’t afford it.”
Lorenzo’s jaw tightened. “Do you have any idea how much these antiques cost?”
Chiara’s eyes suddenly reddened. “Now you’re mad at me because I don’t understand your ridiculous high–society rules? You’re angry that I’m not as ‘elegant‘ as those other women?”
“Are you regretting it now that you’ve seen Alessia leave with someone else?”
“That’s not what I meant,” Lorenzo snapped, his patience gone. “Stop overthinking it. I thought you liked being spontaneous. Why are you being so petty today?”
Furious, Chiara snatched her Hermès bag and smashed it across Lorenzo’s face. The metal clasp cut his cheek, and a bead of blood welled up.
She gasped, startled by her own actions, but glared at him defiantly before turning and storming out of the store.
The shop was silent. Everyone watched as Lorenzo clutched his bleeding cheek, his expression thunderous. He chased after her, leaving a disaster in his wake.
Within half a day, the story of Chiara striking Lorenzo with her handbag had ripped through the city. And thanks to Giovanni’s declaration, the news of my impending marriage to the Don was now set in stone.
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